Suffering

Sovereignty

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God is not like a firefighter who gets calls to show up at calamities when the damage is already happening. He is more like a surgeon who plans the cutting he must do and plans it for good purposes. Without the confidence that God rules over the beginning of our troubles, it is hard to believe that He could rule over their end. If we deny God His power and wisdom to govern the arrival of our pain, why should we think we can trust Him with its departure?

Let the bones which you have broken rejoice.
John Piper ~ Life as a Vapor

In the blink of an eye

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on being with a friend who is battling a serious illness. our lives are but a vapor and can be gone in an instant.

in the blink of an eye.

you put me here for a reason,
you have a mission for me,
you knew my name and you called it long before i learned to breathe,
sometimes i feel disappointed by the way i spend my time,
how can i further your kingdom when i’m so wrapped up in mine?

in a blink of an eye,
that is when,
i’ll be closer to you than i’ve ever been.

time will fly,
but until then i’ll embrace every moment i’m given,
there’s a reason i’m alive,
for the blink of an eye.

and tho i’m living a good life,
can my life be something great?
i have to answer the question before its too late.

i’ll give the very best of me,
that becomes my legacy,
so tell me what am i waiting for?
what am i waiting for?

by Mercy Me

God moves in a mysterious way

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God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
William Cowper (1731–1800)
One of my favorite Jeremy Camp songs is set to these lyrics (same title).

Reflections from Sunday

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Walking with God is not a vacation – it’s an adventure.

God does not believe in immediate gratification. He wants to build faith and trust in Him. He wants to build endurance in us.

God often calls us to the desert with Him. I’d rather be with God in the desert, than on a luxury vacation without Him.

Until He comes, we have work to do. We are His ministers and He works through us (and most often in spite of our shortcomings).

Great things have yet to come. Greater things have yet to be done…

Is it possible to understand God?

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No.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

I don’t understand why God does what He does.

All I can do is seek His will for my life. And most of the time, this seems impossible.

So right now, right here I must take action where I know I can, but wait for the rest.

Seeking God’s will = taking (what seem to be very small) steps forward + waiting.

In the end, may all this somehow bring glory to Him.

Renaissance

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It’s really hard to be changed and molded by God and made more like Christ. It’s painful and takes an immense amount of trust and hope. I like this song because it talks about God being with us in the pain and the struggle. And how the struggle turns into Renaissance, re-birth, growth, moving from where we were to where God wants us to be. This song is by Mat Kearney.

i hear you sing softly to me

i can be the wall when you fall down
find me on the rocks when you break down
i heard it in the song when you call out
but i got to say now it’s got to change

this is my broken heart
this is my bleeding start
this is the way i’ve come to know you
this is my winding road
this is my way back home
this is the narrow door you know that i will walk through

lone to trust midst the rubble and the dust
humbled, it took this much to break down and understand
spent my life this far on castles made of sand
tossed in the breakers in the palm of your hand
now i can finally stand

i hear you sing softly to me

i can be the wall when you fall down
find me on the rocks when you break down
i heard it in the song when you call out
but i got to say now it’s got to change

Back in the land of the living

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I’ve been sick all week.

It’s ironic that this post follows the “Offerings” post. Being sick and confronted with bodily frailty reminds me with how very little I have to offer God on my own.

“The only thing that I can give You
Is the life You gave to me.”

It is only what He gives that we can give back to Him.